Why I love Welly…

I’m a convert. Not that it takes an awful lot, really. And frankly that sounds really JAFA of me. But what the heck.

I thought I would like it here in Wellington for a lot of reasons, and have had others tell me I would too since they themselves had. But it’s a bit different when you have kids and aren’t just a couple on your own, so I was a bit concerned that it would be a bit of a tough transition. But it hasn’t been.

So here’s some of the reasons why I’m loving it after three months…

1. Public Art
Please excuse the next few photographs. Most were taken at dusk one night when I was able to escape from the house on my own for about an hour. Click on them to see a larger version.

For better images of some of these pieces of public art, you should visit the Wellington Sculpture Trust website. Frankly I’ve barely scratched the surface with these few pieces. There’s at least four pieces in a one kilometre run from Evans Bay Parade to the roundabout just before Miramar and the Airport. You can see those at the website link above, just as we do every time Miss Oh Waily goes to her daycare.

2. Children’s Bookshops
So I’m a bit sad about books. It’s an addiction, okay? Let it go.
Anyway, in Auckland – population approximately 1.4 million people – I’ve come across one (1) children’s bookshop. Dedicated to kids books only. That’d be Dorothy Butler in Ponsonby. There may be more but I’ve never seen them.
So far, here in a city of less than 500,000 people, I have come across two. I thought I was in heaven when I found The Children’s Bookshop in Kilbirnie, but then today I was in Petone and found the Story Time Books for Kids shop too. How wonderful.

3. Cheeky Monkey
The ladies of Cheeky Monkey – Wellington chapter 😉 have been fantastically welcoming online and in person. Thanks Sharyn for setting up a forum that allows people like me to make new connections, especially when we move to a new place.

There are more reasons, not least the ridiculously pervasive coffee culture, and when I get some time I will elaborate on them. But I think these three are a pretty good starting point.